Tuesday, September 18, 2018

Stephanie Crowley as Eliza tries to program robot Watson, played by Tasi Alabastro. (Photo by Scott Ragle)

Four characters named Watson find their way into
Madeleine George’s “The (curious case of the) Watson Intelligence,” presented
by Dragon Theatre.

All of them are played by the same actor, Tasi
Alabastro.

The other characters are named Merrick and Eliza, also
played by the same actors,

Gary Mosher and Stephanie Crowley, respectively.

The first Watson is a man-like computer named after
the IBM computer that bested human contestants on TV's "Jeopardy!” He’s a
companion to the Eliza who’s programming him in 2011.

The second Watson is a computer geek hired to fix the
computer of Merrick, a local political candidate and Eliza’s jealous
ex-husband. He hires this Watson to spy on her, but they wind up falling in
love.

Going back to March 1891, the third Watson is the fictional
Dr. John H. Watson, Sherlock Holmes’ associate. He encounters another
Eliza, who wants Holmes to spy on her husband, Merrick.

Then in 1931, Thomas Augustus Watson, the associate
of Alexander Graham Bell, inventor of the telephone, is being interviewed by yet
another Eliza.

This Watson received the very first phone call in March
1876 with the message “Mr. Watson, come here. I want you.”

Times shift, but the focus is on the romance between
the computer geek and Eliza, the computer programmer.

Despite the play’s intriguing concept, it doesn’t
work well in part because it’s so talky and episodic. Direction by Doll
Piccotto doesn’t help.

Another shortcoming of this production is that
Alabastro is miscast. He does well as the robot Watson, but he doesn’t have the
depth and versatility demanded by the other roles.

Crowley does the best in her varied roles, making
all of them sympathetic. Mosher adequately handles the challenges of playing
the unlikeable Merricks.

The versatile set is by Emilia Wysocka-Treder with
costumes by Kathleen Qiu, lighting by John Bernard and sound by Ryan Lee Short.

Running about two and a half hours with one
intermission, “The (curious case of the) Watson Intelligence” will run through
Oct. 7 at Dragon Theatre, 2120 Broadway St., Redwood City.

Thursday, September 6, 2018

Some of the bounciest music ever written and a
terrific cast add up to one very good time at Center Repertory Company’s
production of “Mamma Mia!”

Featuring songs mostly by Benny Andersson and Björn
Ulvaeus made popular by the Swedish band ABBA in the ’70s, “Mamma Mia!” is set
on a Greek island in 1999.

Sean Okuniewicz as Sky and Giana Gambardella as Sophie look forward to their wedding.

Sophie (Giana Gambardella) is to be married to Sky
(Sean Okuniewicz) and wants her father to walk her down the aisle.

There’s just one hitch: Three men might be her
father. They are Harry (Mark Farrell), Bill (Keith Pinto) and Sam (Noel
Anthony).

Her single mother, Donna (Lynda DiVito), has had no
contact with them since Sophie was conceived, and she doesn’t know who’s the
father. Nor does she know beforehand that Sophie has invited them to Donna’s
taverna.

Among the other wedding guests are Tanya (Alison
Quin) and Rosie (Leanne Borghesi), who were part of a ’70s disco girl group
with Donna. They have great fun reminiscing and reprising some of their songs,
such as “Dancing Queen.”

As directed by Marc Jacobs, everything works out for
the best at the end.

Before then, the audience is treated to more hits
like “Honey, Honey,” “Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!” “One of Us,” “Knowing Me, Knowing
You,” “Take a Chance on Me” and the title song.

All are sung well under the leadership of musical
director Brandon Adams.

There’s some great dancing, too, thanks to
choreography by Robyn Tribuzi.

Kurt Landisman’s lighting puts on its own show during
the overture. Costumes by Maggi Yule are sometimes wildly imaginative, as in
the nightmare scene that opens Act 2.

The flexible set is by Kelly James Tighe with sound
by Jeff Mockus.

Even after the curtain call, some of the best-known
songs are reprised, giving the audience a chance to join in and have as much
fun as the 20-member cast seems to be having.

Running about two and a half hours with one
intermission, “Mamma Mia!” will continue through Oct. 7 at the Lesher Center
for the Arts, 1601 Civic Drive, Walnut Creek.

Sunday, September 2, 2018

Inspired by Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet,” four
giants of 20th century musical theater created a timeless classic,
“West Side Story,” being presented by Hillbarn Theatre.

The concept came from Jerome Robbins, who directed
and choreographed the 1957 original. He was joined by Arthur Laurents for the
book, then-newcomer Stephen Sondheim for the lyrics and Leonard Bernstein for the
memorable music.

Besides its own merits, Hillbarn’s production honors
Bernstein’s centennial, which occurred only six days before the Aug. 31
opening.

Instead of the Bard’s feuding 16th-century
Italian families, “West Side Story” focuses on feuding street gangs in New York
City in the 1950s. One is the Sharks, who are recently arrived Puerto Ricans.
The other is the Jets, who are mainland-born white Americans.

In his program note, artistic director Dan Demers
writes of the show’s “unflinching engagement with contemporary concerns of
racial unrest, urban gang violence, rape, immigration, and confrontations with the
police.” He adds that the nation is still dealing with those divisive issues.

Caught between the gangs are star-crossed lovers
Tony (Jeffrey Brian Adams), who founded the Jets but is pulling away, and Maria
(Ana Paula Malagón), a Puerto Rican whose brother is a Shark. Their story
doesn’t end happily.

Before it ends, though, the show offers some
terrific dancing and one memorable song after another.

Adams and Malagón have convincing chemistry and sing
well alone and together. Malagón has an operatic voice she showcases in their
touching duet, “One Hand, One Heart,” as well in ensembles like “Tonight” and
“I Feel Pretty.”

Other great songs include “Something’s Coming,”
“America,” “Somewhere” and more.

Director Erica Wyman Abrahamson, choreographer Kim
Harvath and fight choreographer Zoë Swenson-Graham efficiently marshal the
large cast on the small stage, overcoming the drab set by Ting Na Wang.

Costumes by Raven Winter and lighting by Pamila Gray
complement the production, but the sound by Grant Huberty is spotty.

AISLE SAY SF Reviews 2000-2017

About Me

Judy reviews San Francisco Bay Area theater and writes feature articles about activities of the Stanford Women's Basketball team and Fast Break Club. A longtime Bay Area journalist, she is retired from the San Francisco Chronicle, where she was a writer and copy editor.